


An Iron Mask

by alltheallofme



Category: Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: But Also Everything, Could Be Canon, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Drinking, Drinking & Talking, F/M, Fluffy, M/M, Mention of Death, Minor Swearing, Naegiri - Freeform, Oneshot maybe, Only One Bed, Originally Posted Elsewhere, Sharing a Bed, The Author Regrets Nothing, follow me on wattpad, i dont care, kinda angsty, not explicit, soft kirigiri, yes i know its cliche
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:55:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28485702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alltheallofme/pseuds/alltheallofme
Summary: Makoto and Kirigiri have had a long day, so Makoto doesn't care when Kirigiri stops by his hotel room to read. That is, until the power goes out. What could happen when the two of them are stuck alone in a dark room?A year after their escape from Hope's Peak, Hagakure decides that his friends deserve a break from rebuilding society at the Future Foundation. A little alcohol ends up going a long way.Disclaimer: All Danganronpa material does not belong to me. They create the characters, I create the situations.
Relationships: Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Oowada Mondo, Kirigiri Kyoko/Naegi Makoto
Comments: 11
Kudos: 103





	1. Or We Could Share

"It's you!" the man at the front desk exclaimed. Makoto and the rest of the group gave him a confused look.

"Umm...sorry, what?" he asked, wondering what the strange man meant.

"You're the guys from the killing school life! The survivors!" the man shouted from behind his thick beard and broken teeth.

Makoto glanced in between the five others in his group. This guy was the first person they had met, and he already knew who they were. It was a weird situation to be in for sure, and it was unknown if this would be a common occurrence.

"So what can I do for my esteemed guests?" the man asked, flashing a toothless grin. Kirigiri, always the leader, was the one to speak up.

"We'd like some rooms for the night," she said curtly.

"You got any money for those rooms?" the man at the front desk replied, the smile fading from his cracked lips. Everyone looked around at each other before Kirigiri turned back to the man and shook her head. The man let out a loud laugh that shook his beer gut.

"Well, that's okay. You can pay in...other ways..." he eyed Asahina and licked his lips while she turned away and crossed her arms over her chest instinctively.

"Perhaps we could negotiate something," Togami said as he pushed up his glasses. "I happen to have something you might be interested in."

In a smooth, almost dramatic movement, Togami pulled out a small object from his pocket and placed it on the grimy counter. The man's eyes grew wide, and he leaned in closer to get a better look.

"Is that-"

"Of course it is," Togami interrupted. "A genuine Hope's Peak Academy ring. I'm sure it would fetch a pretty price. And all it will cost you is letting us stay for a few nights."

The man reached for the ring, his grubby fingers outstretched. Togami pulled it away before he touched it, his face smug and cold all at the same time. He shook his head.

"Do we have a deal?" Togami asked. The man nodded and Togami dropped the ring into his outstretched hand.

"We only have five rooms, so you'll have to pick who shares," the man said as he pocketed the ring and turned around to gather what was assumed to be room keys. Fukawa looked bashfully at Togami who pretended she wasn't there, per usual.

"I want to share with someone," Asahina stated. It made sense that she wouldn't want to be alone. Even if Asahina could hold her own in a fight, nobody would want to be by themselves after being eyed up by the man at the desk.

"So it's decided," Togami said firmly, "Asahina will share with Fukawa." Although she didn't look extremely happy about it, Fukawa obviously wouldn't go against what Togami said and nodded towards him.

Eventually the group was led behind the desk of the small hotel to its even grimier interior. It was obvious that Togami wanted to say something, but he held his tongue. The other rooms had lights on, but a lot of them seemed unoccupied even though the man said that there were only five rooms available. Either the people inside them were asleep, or the rooms were just too run down or damaged to be used. Occasionally and disturbingly, groans could be heard from doors the group passed.

"I'll take this one, I guess," Hagakure said when the man left them with their keys. He pointed to the middle room in their collection of five and unlocked the door.

"I think we should all get settled and then figure out what to do tomorrow," Makoto stated. "It's been a long day and even though we're out we don't have much of a plan." Everyone soon agreed and went their separate ways.

"Hey, Togami," Makoto said before the blond could walk away. "Where'd you get that ring from? And how did you know that it would work?"

"Well, Naegi," Togami replied in his usual stuck-up way, "I noticed there was a surplus of Hope's Peak Academy rings in a box in the library. I grabbed as many as I could. I shouldn't have expected you to remember."

"Okay..." Makoto said awkwardly, "but how did you know that it could be used as a bargaining chip?" Togami was silent for a minute and then walked away to face his door.

"I didn't," he remarked quietly. He promptly disappeared into his room and left Makoto in the stifling silence of the dingy hall. It appeared that the ordeal they had been through changed everyone, not just Makoto.

"Alright," Makoto mumbled to nobody as he went into his own room.

The inside was a little nicer than the hall, but still not good. The whole area was dusty and although the thin sheets looked clean, the floor did not. The lighting from a small lamp was dim and the chair next to it didn't look comfortable. It wasn't nice at all, but at least it was a place to stay.

Makoto sat down on his bed and sighed. Of course it hadn't been an easy day, but the worst part was that he still didn't know what was ahead. It was up to him as the Ultimate Hope to lead his friends to a better future. He had hope for that, but it was still a lot of responsibility.

He pushed those thoughts out of his head and moved to his backpack he had sat at the foot of the queen-sized bed. He pulled out his phone, one which Hagakure had conveniently found with both solar panels and a satellite connection. It had been developed by the Ultimate Technician a few years ago and could do everything from texting to accessing YouTube to downloading apps, just like any other phone.

 _Society collapses but YouTube remains.._. Makoto laughed to himself. It wasn't funny, but he might as well laugh. What else was there to do? He slipped off his hoodie and shoes before crawling into the bed and turning on the first videos he could find. He was just drifting off when suddenly...

_*knock knock*_

Instinctively, Makoto's body tensed up as he approached the door. There was no peephole, so he would have to open the door to see who was there. Slowly, he opened it up a crack before letting out a sigh.

"Kiri, geez!" he exclaimed as he opened the door wider to appropriately address his friend. "You scared me to death!"

"Sorry, Naegi," she replied, clutching a book to her chest. Makoto tried to read the title before he realized what he was doing and looked down from her chest.

"So what do you need?" he asked, looking back up to her face.

"Well the light in my room doesn't work, and I wanted to read," Kiri responded as she nodded to the book in her hands. "Is it okay if I sit in here? I won't bother you."

Makoto smiled and nodded as he stepped to the side and let her in his room. She quickly took a seat in the armchair next to the lamp. Makoto went back to his place in the bed, but instead sat on top of the sheets instead of in them.

 _Wow, her hair looks good like that_ , Makoto thought before shaking his head. Why would he think that? Kiri had just put her hair in a ponytail, that's all. It wasn't like he hadn't looked at her before. Her hair was still the same. Long, thin, light lavender...

A sound of something snapping disrupted Makoto from his thoughts. He heard Kiri let out a yelp and looked over at the chair where she sat. Her knees were equal with her head, and her usually stoic face looked shocked. The bottom of the chair had caved in, and she had sunk into it.

"Are you okay?" Makoto asked as he jumped off the bed and rushed to her side.

"I'm fine," Kiri said as she tried to elevate herself out of the caved-in chair. After a few seconds of trying to push herself out, she suddenly stopped. "Can you help me out?"

"Oh yeah, sorry..." Makoto approached her and grabbed her outstretched hand. He pulled unsuccessfully, and took a step back to look at the chair with Kiri stuck in it.

"Maybe both my hands?" Kiri suggested. She reached out her palms and Makoto gingerly took them in his. He felt his face heat up slightly, but then remembered what he was doing.

"Ready?"

Kiri nodded and Makoto pulled as hard as he could. He leaned all the way back, and soon enough she finally budged. Kiri sprang forth from the chair and stumbled forward.

Before he knew it, Makoto was looking directly into Kiri's face that was inches from his. He felt his chest tighten, and he was unable to breathe as he stared into her large, lilac-colored eyes. When she had launched out from the chair, Makoto had unintentionally pulled the both of them to the far wall. She was so close. Her lips were so close.

"Sorry, Makoto," Kiri muttered, turning away from him and breaking Makoto's focus on her lips.

 _She called me Makoto_ , he internally remarked as he let out a silent exhale.

"Well, it's definitely broken," Kiri said. She stood back up from her squat next to the chair on the other side of the room.

"Oh," Makoto said uselessly, "I'm sorry."

"Do you mind if I sit on the bed and move the lamp here?" Makoto shook his head, but on the inside he felt his chest tighten once again as he thought of Kiri being that close to him. "Thanks," she said as she got situated.

Makoto wondered to himself what had changed. He had always been comfortable around Kiri, and even though he had his clumsy moments, he had never felt so awkward around her. He tried to blame it on the stressful day and sat on the bed as far away from Kiri as he could with his heart beating fast. He tried to settle down and succeeded for a few minutes.

"It's hot in here," Kiri stated. She momentarily put her book down and sat up. Makoto tried not to stare as she slipped out of the jacket she always wore and took off her tie. She laid them neatly down at her feet and once again resumed reading.

"So..." Makoto said, glancing at the book cover. "What do you think of... _A Midsummer Night's Dream_?"

"It's pretty good," Kiri said as she flipped to a new page. "I took a copy along with a few other books from the library. Why did you say it like that though?"

"Like what?"

"Like you were surprised that I was reading it."

"Oh, well, um..." Makoto glanced uncomfortably from Kiri's face as she put her book down and stared at him. "It just didn't seem like something you'd read."

"Something I'd read?"

"Well, yeah," Makoto admitted, "I didn't know you liked romance, especially something like Shakespeare."

"Technically it's a comedy," Kiri corrected him, "but I see what you mean. Fukawa was actually the one to recommend it to me."

"Oh."

"What do you think I would read?"

"What do you mean?" Makoto asked, glancing up from his phone.

"What kind of books do you think I would read normally?"

"I don't know," he replied, " _Sherlock Holmes_?" Kiri stared at him for a while and Makoto wondered if he had done something wrong before she smiled and chuckled lightly.

"I do like _Sherlock Holmes_ ," Kiri admitted as she closed her copy of the play, "but my favorite book of all time, at least as far as Western books are concerned, is definitely _The Picture of Dorian Gray_."

"I haven't read that one," Makoto confessed. Kiri shrugged in response.

"I like it," she stated plainly as she went back to her book. Makoto made a mental note to read _The Picture of Dorian Gray_ if he ever got the chance. The two sat in silence a bit longer before a loud sound startled them, as if some electrical device had powered down.

"What was that?" Makoto asked as he sat up.

"I don't kno-" Kiri started before she was interrupted by the lights in the room flickering. In seconds, everything was covered in darkness and it seemed eerily quiet. The only sounds were Makoto and Kiri's breathing. That was, until the voice of the man from the front desk rang throughout the hotel.

"Blackout! Nothing to worry about!" he boomed from the hall.

"I hope there's nothing to worry about," Makoto said quietly. He heard a rustling of fabric followed by the sound of something hitting the floor.

"Ow!"

"Kiri?"

"I'm fine," came the reply. "I just can't see anything when it's dark like this. I tripped over the extension cord for the lamp, I think. Everything is pitch black."

"Come towards me, listen to the sound of my voice," Makoto said as he made his way around the bed to where he heard Kiri fall. He reached out his hands and eventually found his way to her. His heart started beating rapidly as his hands touched her gloved ones in the darkness.

 _Seriously, what's wrong with me?_ Makoto asked himself.

"I suppose I have to make my way to my room now," Kiri said as she moved away from Makoto. She let her hands slip out of his, and Makoto couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

"Ow!" Kiri interjected once again as she tripped over something in the blackness of the room. Unfortunately, that 'something' was Makoto who also yelped in pain.

"I don't know if you'll be able to get to your room in this, Kiri," Makoto confessed as he carefully made his way over to the bed and sat down. "I mean, you've already tripped twice and you've walked two feet. And the carpet in the hall is all ripped and uneven."

"You might be right," Kiri's voice said from the floor. She shifted around a bit and seemed to be waiting for Makoto to say something else.

"I guess I'll be here then," she stated. Makoto heard her move around and lay on the floor.  
"N-no, wait," Makoto said. Why was he stuttering? "I'll sleep on the floor, you can have the bed."

"You don't have to do that," Kiri muttered.  
"No, it's okay," Makoto said as he moved from the edge of the bed to the floor. "I'm willing to be on the floor, don't worry."

"Or we could share."

Makoto gulped loudly. He hoped Kiri didn't notice. Did she really mean that? Wasn't that inappropriate?

"Sh-share the bed?" he stuttered.

"Yes, it's big enough for both of us," Kiri stated.

"No, you can have the bed, Kyouko."

 _Crap_ , Makoto thought. Had he really just called her by her first name?

"I'm not letting you sleep on the floor," Kiri said, unfazed by Makoto using her first name. Was she okay with it?

"No, that's wrong!" Makoto countered. Then, realizing what he had said, "I mean, I'm not letting you sleep on the floor."

"Then I guess we're sharing," Kiri said simply before standing up and making her way onto the bed.

"But-"

"No buts," Kiri interjected. "This is the only way we both get what we want. I can't go to my room because of the dark, and neither of us will let the other sleep on the floor. It's a solution that benefits all parties."

"I...okay," Makoto said eventually. He knew she was right, but it was still weird.

He got ready for bed, taking a little longer than usual. When he returned from the small bathroom, he could hear Kiri's slow breathing. It was as if she was already sleeping, but Makoto remembered her telling him once that she had a hard time falling asleep. Stiffly, he laid down on top of the sheets. His body felt cold, but his face still flushed as his mind raced with the thought that Kiri was so close to him. Makoto let out a squeak as he felt a hand being placed on his chest. It felt small and rough, definitely Kiri's.

"You know you can get under the sheets," she muttered as she retracted her hand.

"Uh, right," Makoto replied awkwardly, shifting underneath the covers. He continued to lay as still as possible, not wanting to disturb Kiri. All sleepiness he felt earlier had disappeared.

"Makoto?" Kiri asked after a while of silence.

"What is it?" There was his first name again.

"I think we should go back to Hope's Peak tomorrow," she replied, shifting to her other side in the bed. "I don't know if we got everything we needed from there. There might be more clues in the computer room or the principal's office. Anywhere Enoshima hid when we were in there. I think Junko would have kept tabs on her enemies, and the enemy of our enemy has to be an ally, right?"

"I see what you're saying," Makoto said, deep in thought. "But don't you think it could be dangerous?"

"Dangerous?" Kiri repeated, shifting in bed. "It might be. There's no telling who's in Hope's Peak after it's been closed off for so long, and there may be some Enoshima devotees. She mentioned a worldwide movement."

The two of them sat in the bed in silence for a moment as Makoto mulled over their options in his head. They really had no idea where to go, so returning to Hope's Peak might be their best option for intel. Still, there's no telling what would await them the next morning if they did go back.

"I think we need to talk to the others about it," he responded eventually. "That's a group decision. I think it would be good to go back and try to gather more information, but we would have to be careful. And maybe Genocider knows more. We could get intel from her too."

"I agree," Kiri stated. She rolled over and Makoto could feel her breath tickling the side of his neck. How close was she?

"Makoto?" she asked again. Were they on a first name basis now? Could he refer to her by her first name like she did to him?

"What is it, Kyouko?"

There was a brief pause, and Kiri sighed. Makoto heard her move around a bit and come even closer towards him. His heart started to speed up again.

"I just wanted to apologize again," she whispered. "I shouldn't have pinned Ikusaba's murder on you. I used you to further my agenda and...I-I'm sorry."

"Kyouko, I told you I understand," Makoto replied. Her voice had cracked, and it scared him. She had never shown this much emotion before.

"You don't get it," she said, her voice forceful yet strangely emotional considering her character. "You could have died, a-and it would have been my fault. If you had died I would have..." Her voice trailed off and Makoto felt his heart squeeze. Had she really been carrying this with her through the last trial and everything else that had happened earlier that day?

"Hey..." Makoto said, trying to make his voice as soft and comforting as possible. "You were doing what you had to do. It wouldn't have been your fault. Everything is Enoshima's fault for forcing us to go through with all of that."

Tentatively, Makoto reached his hand out in the dark and tried to find Kiri. He eventually landed on what he assumed was her shoulder. She had taken off her collared white shirt and it felt like she was wearing some sort of tank top.

"It's okay, Kyouko," he said as he rubbed circles on her shoulder with his hand. It was a more intimate gesture, one he was sure both of them weren't used to. "I'm here now. And we're going to be fine."

"Okay," Kiri whispered. She took Makoto's hand from her shoulder and held it tightly. He could feel her harsh burn scars.

He knew in that moment that the reason he had been acting so weird was because he had feelings for her. It was impossible to deny that now. After all, Kiri was the one who helped him every trial, proved his innocence, and kept him going through all challenges of the killing game. Makoto didn't know if she would ever feel the same, but at that moment he didn't care. He was just happy that Kiri...intelligent, beautiful, and determined Kiri, had survived, and that they would face whatever was next together.

"Goodnight, Kyouko," he whispered.

"Goodnight, Makoto," came the sleepy reply.

~~~

"RISE AND SHINE, BITCHES!" a voice echoed through the hotel room. Makoto's eyes snapped open to find Genocider standing at the foot of his bed. He yelped, but then grew even more surprised when he saw the position he was in.

Kiri had managed to wrap herself around him. Her legs were entangled with his and her arms encircled his chest. He too had his arms wrapped around her, and the two were in a mutually tight embrace. Kiri's long hair spilled out in all directions.

 _She really is beautiful_ , Makoto thought before his attention shifted back to Genocider. "What is it, Syo?"

"We couldn't find Kirigiri anywhere!" Syo exclaimed with a booming cackle. "I came to wake you up and tell you, but who would have thought that you two little bastards were doing some of that hanky-panky crap last night!"

"I-it wasn't like that!" Makoto stuttered. He probably didn't sound very convincing.

"Sure, whatever raises your tool, doll," Syo replied. She then let out a squeal and her eyes grew wide. "Is that you, Master Togami?"

Makoto's attention was then directed to where Syo was looking. Through the door to the hotel room that Syo had entered, Togami strolled into the room. He looked condescendingly at everyone inside.

"Ah, I had a suspicion I'd find you two here," he said with a face halfway between a smirk and a disappointed glare. "Kirigiri had left her phone in the room, and I thought there was a chance she was with you, Makoto."

He turned to the door and the smirk was wiped off his face.

"Now tell me," Togami said, his voice dripping with both exasperation and mockery, "what were you two doing last night?"

"W-we uh-" Makoto started before he was disrupted by movement next to him.

"I was in here reading because the light didn't work in my room," Kiri said, calmly disentangling herself from Makoto. "When the power went out I was stuck here, simple as that."

"I see..." Togami trailed off. "So tell me why one of you didn't sleep on the floor?"

"Well, the floor's gross," Makoto said, shrugging even though he was both embarrassed and annoyed. He didn't have to answer to Togami, and even if they had done something the night before, it wasn't anyone's place to comment on it.

"Guys, I couldn't find Kirigiri but I found a donut sho-" Asahina who had just marched into the room stopped dead in her tracks. Her peppy smile was replaced with a look of confusion. "Makoto? Kirigiri? Why are you two-"

"Whatever you're thinking, it's not that," Makoto said, tired of the assumptions.

"Fine," Togami said. "Do...whatever you two need to get ready and then meet in Hagakure's room. You have ten minutes."

"Understood," Kiri said. She sighed as the three others left the room, leaving her alone with Makoto.

"I'm sorry about that," he confessed. "How much did you hear?"

"Everything after 'rise and shine, bitches.'"

"Oh," Makoto sighed. "So everything."

"It doesn't matter though," Kiri said as she reached over the side of the bed for her gloves. "They can believe whatever they want, but we both know nothing happened."

"Yeah," Makoto replied timidly. "So about last night..."

"What about it?"

"Well, you got a little emotional," he explained. "I just want to know if you're okay."

"Of course I'm okay," Kiri said as she turned to face him. Makoto couldn't help but stare at her shoulders covered only by a tank top. She was so beautiful.

"That's good," he said quietly after looking away. There was a second of silence, and Makoto turned to get out of the bed when he suddenly felt Kiri's gloved hand on his back.

"Wait, Makoto," she said. He turned back and looked her straight in the eye. She looked down at her gloved hands. "Thank you. For last night."

"Of course," Makoto replied. The two smiled at each other.

"Hey, Naegi-" came Hagakure's voice. He stopped when he saw Kirigiri next to him. "Woah."

Makoto and Kiri sighed in unison before continuing on like Hagakure wasn't there.


	2. It Can't Hurt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, y'all!
> 
> Welcome back to what was supposed to be a Naegiri one shot. Before you read, I just want to clarify the reactions everyone has to the alcohol in this story.
> 
> Byakuya-Personality does a 180, becomes super emotional and gullible, rosy cheeks
> 
> Touko-Doesn't hold her alcohol at all, hates the taste but does it because of everyone else, becomes very confident and h*rny
> 
> Hiro-holds his alcohol the best, barely feels it but becomes even more mellow than usual
> 
> Hina-laughs a lot and likes to make fun of others, the alcohol amplifies her bubbliness but sometimes makes her sensitive
> 
> Makoto-gets embarrassed easily, blackout drunk, rational at times but his reaction time is way slow
> 
> Kyouko-her balance is gone, blacks out occasionally, becomes very h*rny and overall is a blushing mess
> 
> Last thing I want to mention: This contains a lot of Togami/Fukawa or TogaFuka. I personally don't ship TogaFuka because I think it ruins Byakuya's character and Fukawa is obsessed with him, not in love. Admittedly I don't know a lot about UDG, but the little I've seen has turned me into a Tokomaru shipper. Regardless, I put the TogaFuka into this story because I thought it fit within the context of the story and the alcohol reactions the characters have. I wanted it to be super uncomfortable. If you don't like it or worse, it's a trigger for you, please don't comment or click off. Also, I promise that the second part of this whole scenario will have a lot more Naegiri. Anyway, that's about it. Thanks for clicking on the story!

"You...made this?"

"Sure did!"

The survivors were seated around a card table in Makoto's kitchen, staring at the numerous glass mason jars in front of them. All the jars were filled to the brim with a clear liquid, and the lids were simply labelled "The Juice" in Hagakure's scrawling handwriting.

"Stop looking at it like that, guys!" he exclaimed, taking up one of his jars in his hand and pouting slightly. "It's not like it's poisoned or something!"

Togami scoffed and pushed up his glasses with a cracked hand, an obvious sign that the time since escaping Hope's Peak hadn't been kind. "The fact that you feel the need to clarify is reason enough for concern."

"So how and why did you make this?" Kiri asked, reaching for a mason jar and studying it. As she did so, she tucked a strand of her long lilac hair behind her ear in a graceful gesture that made Makoto's knees weak.

 _Get ahold of yourself_ , he scolded internally.

"Well I thought to myself one day," Hagakure explained, "'now that I have all this free time on my hands, why don't I try some stuff I've always wanted to do?'"

"That means making moonshine?" Makoto asked, earning a nod from his friend.

"Yeah. And you dudes are the only friends I have so...you get to take as much as you want!"

"I don't drink," Togami said, putting a hand up to his chin.

"BS," Asahina remarked. Togami raised an eyebrow at her and she rolled her eyes. "We have our memories back now. Remember that time you stole a bottle of Mr. Kirigiri's whiskey and got drunk on it?"

"It wasn't stealing," Togami snapped. "He accidentally got double what he ordered and I happened to find the bottle in the freezer."

The pieces clicked in Makoto's mind. "Oh yeah, I remember that. We found you and Fukawa passed out and hungover in your room the next morning. I think that was the most mad I ever saw your dad, Kiri." Makoto's heart squeezed as a small smile danced across her lips.

"And then when I walked in on him, Master Togami let me share it with him!" Fukawa exclaimed, her eyes glazed over dreamily with memories. "Best night of my life..."

Hagakure gave her a confused look and scratched his head. "Wait what does that me-"

"That's none of your concern," Togami snapped, glaring at Hagakure and then at Fukawa who let out a squeak.

 _What was that about?_ Makoto asked himself, staring at his two friends.

"Well...I'm gonna crack one open," Hagakure said. He smoothed back his ponytailed hair and reached into his bag to grab a couple shot glasses. "Anyone else?"

"Sign me up!" Asahina exclaimed. Everyone looked at her, and she smiled. "Come on, it's Friday night and we've been working non-stop. A little fun is exactly what we need."

"True that," Hagakure said, giving Asahina a high five.

"Um...count me in," Fukawa said. She glanced timidly at Togami who sighed and gestured at Hagakure to pass him a glass.

"Kirigiri? Naegi?"

"Alright, just one shot though," Kirigiri said with a small smile. Makoto looked up at her, shocked, and she shrugged. Makoto looked from his friends to the mason jars on the table.

"It can't hurt," he said with a small laugh as Hagakure excitedly opened a jar and poured it into the six shot glasses spread out before him. _If Kiri's okay with it, I am too._

"I also have juice and syrups if you want some later," Hagakure buzzed as he stood over his shot glasses. "I'm not a big fan of mix-ins, but I got some if you are."

"We should toast to something," Asahina said, taking one of the small glasses.

Makoto laughed and tried not to stare at the small smile on Kiri's face. "Would it be too cheesy to say hope?"

"What about a toast to us?" Kiri asked as she took up her glass in a graceful movement that made Makoto's heart flutter. "And to the future."

Everyone nodded and one by one they raised up their small shot glasses. Makoto couldn't help but smile at his friends, feeling happy that they were still together after everything that had happened. "To us," he said quietly.

"To the future, the group said in unison. They pushed their glasses together with a loud clink, a couple clear drops spilling onto the table below. Together, the six friends tossed their heads back and spilled the shots down their throats.

"Hmmph-!"

Makoto started coughing, his throat burning. What he had just put in his body was not smooth, and he could feel it burning as the liquor made its way from his mouth and throat all the way down to his stomach. He slammed his glass down on the table and tried to stifle his coughing.

"That's some good stuff!" Hagakure exclaimed. His proud face was contrasted starkly by everyone else choking in various degrees on their shots, Fukawa especially almost coughing her lungs out.

"Holy...crap," Asahina panted. "What did...you put in there?"

"Just regular moonshine stuff with a little sugar to up the alcohol content," Hagakure shrugged. "Why? Do you not like it?"

"It tastes like rubbing alcohol," retorted Togami as he smoothed down his button-up.

"Oh," Hagakure said simply, clearly stunned by the fact that his tolerance to the stuff was higher than that of his friends. "Uh...if you want, it's really easy to put in some of the juice and syrup I have here. I'm sorry you guys didn't like it."

At first, the very idea of putting more of the stuff in his body made Makoto shiver, but one look at Hagakure's disappointed face convinced him that he had to try more. Just for his sake. The fact that Kiri was reaching for a bottle of grenadine was reassurance as well.

"I'll get a bigger cup," he said with a small smile. Hagakure's face lit up, and Makoto's smile grew bigger. He turned to his kitchen cabinet to get bigger glasses, pulling out six. He made his way to back the table and sat down, giving the glasses to Hagakure.

"Everyone give me keys if they're going to drink more," Kiri stated, standing up and reaching a hand out. Slowly but surely, everyone including Makoto placed their keys into her outstretched hands. They were ungloved due to the fact that Kiri had grown so close with her friends. "Thank you."

She swiftly walked away from the table, and Makoto looked away after he caught himself staring at her long legs as she moved away. He could feel his face heat up and he heard Asahina giggle. "I see you, Naegi," she whispered, making Makoto turn even more red.

"It's not like that!" he whispered back, earning a smirk from Fukawa across the table. Makoto laughed awkwardly as Kirigiri turned back to the table, a poor attempt at hiding his embarrassment. Still, she probably knew what it was about. It's not like they hadn't been teased over nothing before.

"Pass the grapefruit juice, Naegi," Togami ordered. Makoto passed the large jug over to the blond and Togami swiftly poured some into the glass Hagakure had given him. He was about to lift the cup to his lips when suddenly he stopped.

"Do you like grapefruit juice?" Togami asked. It took everyone including Fukawa a long time to realize that the question was directed at her. She turned red as Togami got impatient. "Well? I don't have all night."

"Y-yes, I do," Fukawa stuttered quietly.

The words barely seemed to form as Fukawa's eyes widened with amazement at Togami. He ignored her spluttering and handed the drink he had just made to her before quickly making his way around the table to fix another one presumably for himself. Quietly, Fukawa took a sip of her drink, so transfixed by Togami's movements that she barely coughed on the liquor.

"Hey, Hina," Hagakure interjected, interrupting the awkward silence that had descended once again. "I have some chocolate syrup here. If Naegi has some milk, you can mix it. It's pretty sweet, so I think you would like it."

"Go ahead, it's in the fridge," Makoto said in response to Asahina's questioning face. Then, turning to Kiri next to him, "Can I make you something, Kiri?"

"Sure, I'll try some some with the orange juice and grenadine."

"Okay, and how strong do you want it?" Makoto asked, reaching for the bright orange jug as Kiri shrugged.

"Just strong."

"That's not very specific but okay," Makoto laughed quietly. He saw Kiri smile out of the corner of his eye, and it made his heart melt. Making her smile every once in a while was what kept him going. He smiled with her as he gave her drink a quick store and pushed it into her ungloved hand, earning an appreciative nod. Makoto couldn't help how his eyes so easily focused in on her lips as she took a drink, it was a habit he could never quite correct.

"You guys would be really cute together," Fukawa giggled to nobody. "Well, you are, but it would be cuter if you guys were together. I could write a book with characters like you."

"I-" Makoto felt ready to pass out, and he knew his face had lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Perhaps you've already had enough despite it only being one drink," Togami commented, reaching for Fukawa's half-full cup. She turned away from him slightly, and Togami didn't bother trying further. "Fine. You've never been good at holding your alcohol anyway. You never watch what you say after only one drink, just like a fool."

Makoto didn't know if Togami's words had made things better or worse. Still, he felt a little bit better that Fukawa had stopped talking. He and Kiri both said nothing in response to their exchange as he poured himself a drink. Stronger than what he would usually have, but it was deserved.

Eventually, the table settled into an easy conversation. Makoto finished his drink and made another, still relatively lucid, but the effects of the alcohol could be seen on everyone, especially Fukawa. They began to laugh at the smallest things, even if they were tiny and stupid and would usually never be funny. It was a refreshing change of pace from what usually went on in their lives. Even Fukawa as an intern was under constant stress; rebuilding society wasn't always peachy.

"What do you think they would say about this?" Asahina eventually asked, taking the next jar of moonshine Hagakure had pulled from his seemingly never-ending supply.

"Who?" Fukawa giggled. "The higher-ups at work? What do they care about what we do on a Friday night?" She continued laughing into her second grapefruit-flavored drink of the night.

"No, I mean the ones who didn't make it," Asahina sighed. The room's atmosphere shifted, and everyone expressions looked more downcast than usual. Even Fukawa, tipsy as she was, stopped giggling and looked down at her hands, sighing. A small silence ensued, but eventually Togami's pensive voice cut through it.

"Well, the last time we did something like this," he started, his face a little less guarded and a little more red than usual, "Ishimaru yelled at us for a good hour on top of how angry your dad was, Kirigiri. There's no way Mr. Super High School Level Moral Compass would condone this."

"He would if Oowada did it," Makoto laughed quietly.

"You're right," Kiri joined in as she looked at Makoto, a small smile dancing across her lips. "He had a soft spot for Oowada after they started dating. Ishimaru let things slide when it came to him."

"They were so in love," Fukawa reminisced. Then, she giggled and took another hard swig of her drink. "About as much as when Ikusaba was in love with you, Naegi."

The group laughed at her words, and Makoto hid his face behind his hands as he let out a reluctant and awkward chuckle and said, "I can't believe how dense I was. Looking back it was so obvious, so why didn't I see it? Ikusaba would have loved doing this after we forced her to."

"Maizono was too much of a goody two-shoes to do this with us," Hagakure remarked, rubbing his chin, "and I think Celestia, Fujisaki, and Yamada would have tapped out too."

"Celes would have," Kiri noted, her pale cheeks pinking. "She would have just said something about how wine would have been more her taste." Makoto laughed at her analysis, knowing she was probably right.

"Sakura would only have had a little bit too," Asahina sniffed. A sadness echoed in her words, and her eyes began to well up with tears. Hagakure put a hand on her arm and looked in her eyes.

"Don't cry, Hina!" he said, sniffling. "If you cry, I cry."

"Sorry," Asahina said as she wiped her eyes with her jacket sleeve. "It's just...I think about them every day, you know? A-and Sakura...I loved her."

Hagakure pulled Asahina closer to him in the brotherly way he always did, placing a hand on her back and rubbing circles. She started crying harder, the alcohol giving way to feelings everyone had but nobody wanted to share. The survivors had all been grieving since the killing game, especially after they got their memories back. It was hard to comfort someone when you were hurting the same.

"I'm sorry," Asahina apologized as she pulled away from Hagakure. "I didn't mean to be a downer on everyone's night, but I-"

"Survive."

All eyes turned to Togami, the source of the word. His usually pale cheeks were a bright rosy red, and his teeth were gritted. The alcohol was having an effect on him tonight, making him more emotional than Makoto had ever seen. It was a weird change, and it was from these abnormal emotions that Togami's word echoed. He looked Asahina dead in the eyes and repeated himself.

"Survive," he said again. "That's what Oogami said, correct? In her suicide note she told you to, if I'm not mistaken, 'survive with everyone else.'"

"That's right..." Asahina murmured, stunned by Togami's sudden words.

"I'm only going to say this once, so listen carefully," Togami continued. "Every day we are making it up to them. We survive and rebuild the future because that's how we make it up to them. We move on for those who were unable to do it themselves. That is our purpose."

"Uh...Togami?" Hagakure questioned. "I think you've had too much to drink, dude."

"I assure you I have not," Togami snapped back from across the table. In a single, swift movement, he raised his half-full glass up above his head and stared Asahina down. "I propose a toast to the people we've lost. To the future we make in their name."

"I'll drink to that," Kirigiri said, raising her glass up next to Togami's. Makoto felt his own grief overrun his system, and he began to cry. More tears fell from Asahina's eyes as one by one, everybody reciprocated Togami's toast. Finally, she raised her cup, a bittersweet smile bursting through the tears that trickled down her face.

"To Sakura," she whispered quietly. The friends clinked their cups together and raised them all to their lips, taking a swig. Fukawa almost emptied her drink and immediately sat down, laughing to herself uncontrollably.

"That was _so_ hot, Master Togami," she giggled. Makoto assumed she had meant it as a quiet remark to herself, but the entire table could hear her slurred words. Togami rolled his eyes at her, and calmly took a shoot without warning.

He coughed a bit and turned to her. "I'm not drunk enough for that yet."

"What the hell..." Makoto heard Hagakure whisper to Asahina as she took another shot. She shrugged and watched as Togami slowly poured another drink for Fukawa and then himself. Even Kiri was studying the pair despite the effect of the alcohol, evidenced by her extremely red face and glances every which way.

 _What's going on with them?_ Makoto thought to himself. _I know Togami gets weird when he's drunk, but why is he acting so nice to Fukawa? And why is she suddenly so outspoken?_

"So..." Asahina said happily, shifting kind of awkwardly in her seat, "what exactly were you saying a while ago about the night you stole Mr. Kirigiri's booze?" Unexpectedly, Kiri chuckled a little bit and then covered her mouth, seemingly embarrassed. Asahina ignored her outburst and continued staring at Togami and Fukawa behind the lid of her cup.

"We didn't steal anything," Togami said indignantly, his prominent blush becoming more apparent. "And again, it's not any of your concer-"

"We made out."

Everyone at the table stopped except for Hagakure who choked on his shot for the first time that night. Makoto stared wide-eyed at Fukawa who stared off into space dreamily and Togami who turned so red he almost went purple.

"We had agreed to never talk about that," Togami managed to choke out, giving Fukawa a death glare. Asahina finally seemed to realize what was happening and hurriedly took a shot, seemingly trying to erase the awkward moment from her head.

"Oh, come on, Master Togami," Fukawa pleaded, turning to the blond boy and smiling blissfully. "Don't you remember? One thing lead to another and soon..."

She took a break from talking to a horrified Togami to giggle uncontrollably and drink more from her nearly empty cup. Everyone stared at her dumbfounded as Fukawa made it even more clear that she had graduated from tipsy to completely drunk. She looked as though she was going to fall over and kept leaning closer towards Togami.

"I-I-I think you've had enough," Togami spluttered. Fukawa quickly downed what was left in her cup before handing it over with a smile.

"Whatever you say, Master Togami," she giggled dreamily. She turned to Makoto and stood up, swaying slightly. "Where's your guest bedroom, Naegi?"

"It's, um...down the hall to the left..." Makoto trailed, extremely weirded out.

"Alright," Fukawa slurred with a small hiccup. She began to wobble down the hall before turning back to face Togami at the table. She smiled at him, her cheeks pink. "You know where I'll be, Master Togami."

She walked again down the hallway as the others stared after her. When Fukawa's slender, braided form finally left their sight, everyone's eyes flickered towards Togami. He looked up at his friends, the alcohol allowing his embarrassment to shine through the façade of stoic indignance. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then he quickly shut it again.

Chugging what was left in his cup and unsteadily getting up from the table, Togami managed to quietly say, "I should go make sure she doesn't act like a fool," and hurried away from the group.

"Anyone else need another shot after whatever the hell that was?" Hagakure asked after a long silence.

"Please," Makoto responded quietly, passing his shot glass to his friend.

**~~~**

"I'm glad you took away his keys, Kiri."

"Me too," she responded. "Hagakure can hold his alcohol well, but there's no excuse for him to be out driving in his current state." Kiri draped a blanket over Hagakure's snoring body on the couch, pausing for a second to make sure he was completely covered. Then, she moved onto Asahina, covering her slim form with another blanket as she slept curled-up in Makoto's armchair.

"They should be good there until morning," Makoto commented, earning a nod from the girl in front of him. Once again, he found himself unable to help staring at Kiri without smiling, blissfully unaware of what was going on around him. Or, in this case, unfortunately unaware.

"Catch, Makoto."

Makoto's alcohol-induced state barely registered the words before Hagakure's keys hit him in the face with a loud, jangling THWACK.

"Ow! Kiri!"

"I'm sorry," Kiri mumbled, rushing towards him to grab Hagakure's keys off the floor. "I was aiming for your hand." Unfortunately, she lost her balance and tumbled into Makoto, leaving both of them in a crumpled heap on the floor. She began apologizing again, but Makoto just sank to the floor and laughed it off.

"It's okay, Kyouko," he chuckled. "My reaction time isn't great right now." Kiri gave him an appreciative smile he could barely see in the dark of his living room, and he felt his cheeks heat up when he saw another blush creep its way onto her pale face. Quietly, he helped her up and moved towards the kitchen.

"I'm just going to toss these in the sink," he called over his shoulder in a yawn.

Makoto grabbed up the glasses and put them in, turning on the sink just to splatter them a bit with water. He liked the feeling of the cool water on his rough hands, and was almost too distracted to notice it when it first happened.

"Umm, Kyouko?"

"Mhmm?"

"I-I can wash the dishes myself," Makoto stumbled as he shut off the faucet.

He turned around and struggled to look Kiri in the eyes. Her arms were encircled around his hips, ungloved hands clasped on the edged of the sink. Her lilac eyes hidden behind her drooping eyelids and long eyelashes, Kiri stared at him and said nothing.

 _Pull away,_ a voice in Makoto's head silently pleaded as his face heated up. Being in a position like this with Kiri, his best friend he happened to have unreciprocated feelings for, was torture.

Still, there was another quiet and confusing voice in his head that silently called out, _don't leave._

Makoto himself didn't know which voice ended up triumphant, but eventually Kiri decided to pull away, leaving him feeling both relieved and aching. She reached a hand around to the back of her head to grab at her ponytail, cheeks rosy from what Makoto guessed was the alcohol.

"Sorry," she mumbled, "I...tripped."

"Okay," Makoto responded, looking down at the floor. _What a weird way to trip._

"So, are you sure it's okay if I stay with you tonight?" Kiri asked, trying to change the awkward atmosphere that had descended.

"Yeah, of course," Makoto said, slightly slurring his speech as he polished off his last drink and tried his best to clean up the kitchen. "I think Togami and Fukawa ended up...sharing the queen in the guest bedroom though. And Hagakure and Asahina took the living room furniture, so you'll have to share with me."

"Share with _you_?"

Makoto looked up and saw Kiri's red face, slightly stunned at his words. "Yeah, if that's okay. I mean, you drank a lot tonight, and I'm not letting you drive home. Is that okay? If it's not I can figure something ou-"

"No, it's fine," Kiri said, turning away from him. "We've done it before so it's not a big deal."

It sounded as though the remark was directed more at herself than Makoto, but truthfully he couldn't be completely certain. With that last remark, Kiri pivoted and walked away from Makoto, muttering as she went about getting ready. Makoto sighed and rubbed his temples, wondering what he had done wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will every chapter end with bed sharing? I don't know, but it's honestly one of my favorite tropes.
> 
> Anyway, y'all, please tell me where you want this to go. I don't have a concrete idea, and I always love reader feedback. Any and all suggestions welcome!


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